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Wild fox with rabies bites Carlsbad man, dogs

By Natalie Gross ngross@currentargus.com

Posted:
11/06/2012 02:07:12 AM MST

A wild fox that attacked a Carlsbad resident and five dogs has tested positive for rabies.

Carlsbad police say a resident on the 2500 block of Legion Street heard his dog barking outside around 1:30 a.m. Friday and he went outside to investigate. That's when the fox came around a storage shed and bit the man from behind.

The fox was next seen on North Eighth Street, where it attacked a puppy and an adult dog.

A police officer shot the fox in the mouth, but it survived and ran away, returning to the 2700 block of Legion, where it made its next attack. Around 4 a.m., a resident heard his dogs barking and upon going outside, found the fox had bitten one of his pets. The other dog had the fox cornered in its doghouse.
The man shot and killed the fox, finally ending its dangerous rampage.

The attacks were the latest symptom of the rabies outbreak that's kept Eddy County in its group. Officials with the New Mexico Department of Health may perform a study in Carlsbad next month to see why the outbreak is so severe.

Dr. Paul Ettestad, the State Public Health veterinarian, said that this area has seen 38 cases of rabies this year in 30 skunks, two raccoons, four foxes, and two dogs. And that doesn't count the latest incident with the fox.

"It's really important to get dogs and cats up to date with the rabies vaccine," said Ettestad. "They are the barrier between people and wildlife.

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And though that's the most important factor in defeating the rabies outbreak, Ettestad also said that feeding wild animals has been a problem in Carlsbad, and he discourages anyone from doing so.